José María de Jesús Carvajal

The Life and Times of a Mexican Revolutionary

A pioneering biography of the Mexican revolutionary Carvajal, a central figure in the development of colonial Texas

Both a biography of the Mexican reformer and a study of the events that shaped the Mexican-U.S. border, José María de Jesús Carvajal examines the challenges faced by Carvajal during the turbulent decades of the early to mid-nineteenth century. Carvajal, whose career stretched from the Texas Revolution to the French Intervention, played a key role in the violent struggle between the liberal and conservative political factions that vied for control of the Republic of Mexico from 1830 to 1874. He was the leader of a mercenary army that invaded Mexico from the United States in 1851 in an unsuccessful attempt for the creation of the so-called independent Republic of the Sierra Madre. In addition, he played significant roles in the struggle for Texas Independence and the formation of the ill-fated Republic of the Rio Grande; and he opposed the American occupation of northern Mexico during the Mexican-American War, the War of Reform that solidified liberal control of Mexico under the leadership of Benito Juárez, and the French Intervention into Mexico.

Carvajal’s life and exploits have been largely overlooked. Here, Joseph Chance restores him to his rightful place among the visionaries who shaped modern Texas and sheds new light on an important period in the history of South Texas and northern Mexico.

Praise

“José María de Jesús Carvajal is a well-written and documented biography of an extraordinary man who, like many figures, remained in the shadows of history.”
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Joseph E. Chance is the editor of My Life in the Old Army: The Reminiscences of Abner Doubleday and, with Lawrence R. Clayton, The March to Monterrey: The Diary of Lieutenant Rankin Dilworth, U.S. Army. From 2001 to 2003 he wrote a weekly column, "History by Chance,” in theHarlingen Valley Morning Star. He lives in Edinburg, Texas.